Tensioning roller for developing tank and control therefor



7 1956 P. F. PRIOLEAU 2,757,590

TENSIONING ROLLER FOR DEVELOPING TANK AND CONTROL THEREFOR Filed Nov. 7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 7, 1956 P. F. PRIOLEAU TENSIONING ROLLER FOR DEVELOPING TANK AND CONTROL THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. '7, 1952 INVENTOR. P/l/Z/P I? PR/OlE/Hl EEIL Aug. 7, 1956 P. F. PRIOLEAU TENSIONING ROLLER FOR DEVELOPING TANK AND CONTROL THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 7, 1952 JNVENTOR. Pfl/l/P EPFIOLE/Ql/ fad/am Afromvsr United States Patent TENSIDNENG RQLTLER FUR DEVELOPING TANK AND CONTRQL THEREFOR Philip F. Priolean, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Appiieation November 7, 1952, Serial No. 319,366

3 Claims. (Cl. 95-905) The present invention relates to a tensioning roller for developing tank and control therefor and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally the present invention consists of an improvement over my cc-pending application filed July 20, I951 and bearing Serial No. 237,782, now abandoned. The present improvement is utilized in a structure such as is described in my co-pending application aforesaid and provides a tensioning device for a roll of film placed upon a roll supporting spindle and controllable from without the cabinet in which said spindle is mounted. The device consists essentially of a laterally extending roller which is carried by suitable brackets upon a shaft which extends likewise laterally through the cabinet and which is provided at its outer end, outside of such cabinet, with a cog wheel which is engaged with a vertically extending rack. The rack is spring loaded to maintain the same in an upward condition to thus revolve the shaft and hold the roller against the film but may be lowered when desired. A latch is provided for holding the rack in its lowered position. The improvement is such that a roll of film about to be developed within the cabinet may be mounted therein with the cover of the cabinet removed and held by the present device against unraveling so that a minimum of the film in such roll is exposed to light prior to the placing of the cover upon the cabinet and utilizing the other mechanisms to unwind the film into one compartment while the conventional film wrapping paper is wound into another cabinet and thereafter severed from the film.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved tensioning means for maintaining photographic material upon a spindle.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character set forth, novel control means therefor.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character set forth, novel latching means forming a part of the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and efficient in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof with a cover forming a part of the invention removed therefrom,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4,

2,757,590 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 Figure 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 4 but showing certain parts thereof advanced to other positions,

Figure 7 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to Figure 1 but showing a latch member forming a part of the invention in locked condition,

Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a shaft, tensioning roller and gear all forming parts of the invention, and

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along line lil1ll of Figure 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a cabinet generally designated at 16 and having a bottom 11, side walls 12, a fixed end wall 13 and a movable end wall 14 which is hinged at its lower end, as indicated at 15. Transversely extending across the interior of the cabinet 10 is a vertical partition member 16 which is of less height than the walls 12 and 14 to thus provide a clearance 17 between its upper end and the underside of a cover 13 for the cabinet. The partition 16 divides the interior of the cabinet into a relatively small compartment 19 and a relatively large compartment 20.

The compartment 20 forms the developing tank in which the development of film takes place. Transversely mounted in the compartment 20 upon a shaft 21 is a conventional film supporting reel 22. A conventional traction band 23 is mounted upon the reel 22 and is provided at its free end with a traction band buckle 24. The shaft 21 extends through a side wall 12 and terminates in a knob 25 and is provided with a pulley 26. Transversely mounted in the cabinet 10 adjacent the passageway 17 is a guide roller 27 and transversely mounted in the compartment 12 adjacent the partition 16 is a film roll supporting spindle 28 and there is also provided in the compartment 12 a transversely extending spool 29 mounted upon a shaft 30.

Mounted in the compartment 20 adjacent the passage 17 is a tubular guide 31 carrying a knife and provided with an operating handle 32, this mechanism having been heretofore described in my co-pending application, it being understood for the purposes of the present application that manipulation of the knob 32 will act to transversely sever a strip of film which may lie adjacent thereto.

The shaft extends through the wall 12 and is provided with a pulley 33 which has entrained thereover a belt 34 which also is entrained over the pulley 26.

Extending through the cover 18 adjacent opposite sides thereof are guide sleeves 35 in which are mounted for vertical slidable movement vertically extending legs 36 of an inverted U-shaped yoke designated generally at 37. The bight portion 38 of the yoke 37 extends horizontally above the top of the cover 18 and there is threadably engaged in a socket 39 carried by the cover 18 beneath the bight portion 38 a vertically extending screw 40 having a head 41 at its upper end which head serves to limit the downward movement of the yoke 37. A bar 42 is carried by the legs 36 on the underside of the cover 18 and in operative position this bar 42 rests upon the film 43 adjacent the guide member 27 and serves as a stop to arrest the film 43 at its junction with the protective paper 44 to assist in the severing of the film 43 by the knife mechanism indicated at 31.

Transversely and revolubly mounted in the cabinet 10 and extending through the compartment 19 beneath the shaft 28 is a shaft 42a having a gear 43a afl-lxed to its outer end and provided with a squared portion 44a within the cabinet 10. Aifixed as by screws 45 to the squared portion 44a is a pair of arcuate spring arms 46 3 in whose outer end there is journaled an elongated roller 47.

Vertically and slidably mounted upon the outer side of the wall 12 is a rack 43 which is enmeshed with the gear 43a and which is provided at its lower end with an integrally formed outwardly extending apertured foot 49. Underlying the rack 43 and forming a bearing therefor is a vertically extending bracket 50 having integrally formed therewith an outwardly extending horizontal arm 51 provided with an opening 52 therethrough. A pin 53 is afiixed at its upper end to the arm 49 and extends through the opening 52 in the arm 51 and is provided with a head 54 at its lower end. A compression spring 55 surrounds the pin 53 and is adapted to hear at one end against the arm 49 and. at the other end against the arm 51. A latch lever 56 is pivoted at one of its ends, as indicated at 57, to that side Wall upon which the rack 48 is mounted and is provided with a pointed outer end 58. Adjacent the end 58 there is provided a handle 59. The wall 12 has mounted thereon a supporting pin 64).

In operation, it will be apparent that the device is utilized as heretofore described in my co-pending appli cation above referred to first, however, filling the compartment 20 with developer fluid through a light-proof spout 61 attached to the wall 13. The exposed film roll is indicated at 62 and is mounted upon the shaft 28 whereupon the wrapping paper 44 is threaded upon the spool 29 and the leading edge of the film 43 is secured in the buckle 24 of the strap 23. This may be accomplished by exposing only about one-half of an inch of such exposed film. At this time the pointed end 58 of the latch lever 56 is disengaged from the cog wheel or gear 43a and is allowed to rest upon the pin 60 as clearly shown in Figure 1. This allows the spring 55 to urge the gear 43a to move in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, through the action of the rack 48 thus causing the spring arms to likewise move in a clockwise direction, as shown in Figures and 7 to thus cause the roller 47 to bear tightly against the roll of exposed film 62 thereby to prevent exposure of any of the film contained in such roll. Thereupon the cover 18, which is lightproof, is placed upon the cabinet it) after which the rack 48 is forced downwardly thus causing a counterclockwise movement of the gear 43a and the arms 46 and roller 47, all as viewed in Figures 1, 5 and 7, for example, thus moving the roller away from the roll 62 and allowing free movement of the film 43 and wrapping paper 44 away from such roll 62 in the manner heretofore described in my co-pending application. During this period the yoke 37 is moved downwardly so that when the juncture between the film 43 and its wrapping paper 44, indicated at 63 in Figure 5, encounters the bar 42, such action will be noticed by the operator whereupon he will utilize the knob 32 to operate the knife 31 to sever the film 43 from the wrapping paper 4 44 thus only the film 43 to be wound upon the reel 22 in the developing portion or compartment 20 of the cabinet 10.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising, in combination with a developing tank apparatus including a cabinet having a dry compartment, 9. solutioncontaining compartment, an exposed film roll holding shaft in said dry compartment, a film wrapper paper receiving roller in said dry compartment, and a film-receiving roller in said solution-containing compartment, the provision of a roller adapted to bear against one side of a film roll mounted upon said film roll holding roller, means upon one side of said cabinet for urging said roller into contact with said film roll, and means likewise on one side of said cabinet for latching the first-mentioned means in inoperative position.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination with a developing tank apparatus including a cabinet having a dry compartment, a solution-containing compartment, an exposed film roll holding shaft in said dry compartment, a film wrapper paper receiving roller in said dry compartment, and a film-receiving roller in said solution-containing compartment, the provision of a shaft extending through said cabinet in parallel relation to said film roll, a gear upon one end of said shaft, a pair of arms extending generally radially from said shaft interiorly of the cabinet, a roller revolubly mounted at each of its ends in an outer end of one of said arms, a rack vertically slidable on one outer side of said cabinet and enmeshed with said gear, a spring for normally urging said rack upwardly whereby to urge said roller against said film roll, and a latch arm adapted to engage said gear when the latter is in lowered condition against the action of said spring.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said latch comprises an arm pivoted to said cabinet and having a pointed free end engageable with said gear, and wherein a pin is provided on the side wall of said cabinet for holding said latch arm out of engagement with said gear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 706,852 Reichert Aug. 12, 1902 707,791 McCurdy Aug. 26, 1902 1,364,320 Rose Jan. 4, 1921 1,840,427 Barnack Ian. 12, 1932 2,232,763 Becher Feb. 25, 1941 

